Japan's Princess Mako sets wedding date

Japan's Princess Mako will marry her former college classmate, Kei Komuro, on October 26, the Imperial Household Agency announced on Friday.

The marriage had originally been planned for 2018, but a tabloid scandal engulfed Komuro's family and put the couple under intense public scrutiny.

Why was the wedding delayed?

The couple got engaged in 2017, and a press conference to announce their engagement was met with fanfare by the Japanese public.

However, tabloid reporting unleashed a scandal over allegations that Komuro's mother had borrowed around $35,000 (about $30,000) from her former fiance and had failed to repay it. The tabloid scandal drew heavy scrutiny on the couple. 

After the marriage was postponed Komuro left Japan for the United States to study law at New York's Fordham University in 2018. He didn't return to Japan until earlier this week.

How will the wedding take place?

The two will register their marriage at a local government office, and will not hold any grand ceremonies typical of royal weddings in Japan.

Mako, the daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, will leave the royal family after getting married, following tradition. Japan's imperial succession rules mean that Mako will lose her title after the marriage.

The princess will also reportedly forgo a large sum of money usually given to royal women who marry commoners, amounting close to a million dollars, local media reported.

Last year, Crown Prince Akishino said he supported his daughter's marriage to Komuro, but added that she needed to win the public's "understanding."

As Komuro has completed his bar exam in the US, the couple is expected to move to New York after the wedding, according to Japanese media. 

rm/wmr (AFP, Reuters, AP)